The early frontrunner for the Los Angeles Dodgers manager position may be someone without any prior MLB managing experience.
According to Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register, former MLB outfielder Gabe Kapler is a strong candidate to replace Don Mattingly, who parted ways with the Dodgers on Thursday.
Kapler currently works as the Dodgers’ director of player development. He was responsible for implementing better dietary plans and an all-organic menu for the organization this past season. As Plunkett notes, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and GM Farhan Zaidi used the word “organic” multiple times when discussing their decision to move on from Mattingly.
Both president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and GM Farhan Zaidi referred to the “organic dialogue” that had “organically evolved” during their post-season meetings with Don Mattingly. Those discussions led to a vacancy in Mattingly’s old job.
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(Kapler) embraces such progressive thinking with missionary zeal, whether it is in menu choices, statistical analysis or the naked pursuit of Vitamin D. You’ll have to check his lifestyle blog (kaplifestyle.com) for the full story on that. Suffice it to say, it would make for a shocking NSFW approach to spring training drills.
Friedman wasn’t yet ready to discuss any specific managerial candidates when asked about Kapler, noting that the team is looking for someone who will be able to lead players the way Mattingly was. But if Mattingly — who has an old-school mentality — was such a great leader, it would stand to reason that the Dodgers want to focus more on player development and the analytical side of the game.
Zaidi admitted that the team expects to get “younger” going forward, which bodes well for the 40-year-old Kapler and his minor league managing experience.
“It’s hard to say exactly the type of person – but someone who’s a teacher and a leader and somebody that can help guys get over the hump to the big leagues,” Zaidi said. “I think that’ll be an important characteristic of anybody we hire.”
Is Kapler the right man for the job? We have no idea, but we do know that no manager could give better advice about the uses for coconut oil. Perhaps the Dodgers will find that type of knowledge invaluable.
